About the SMT

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About Us

The Scottish Mountaineering Trust was established by Trust Deed in 1962 by the Scottish Mountaineering Club.

The primary object of the Trust is to promote and support health, education and recreation in the mountains of Scotland and elsewhere. It fosters knowledge of the mountain geography, biology and weather, protects the mountain amenities and access, and also promotes the skills to walk and climb safely in the mountains.

 

Like all charities, the activities of the Trust are bounded by Government legislation. Any grants made by the Trust must be for charitable purposes. This means, for example, that we can’t support expeditions unless they have a clear scientific, educational or other charitable purpose. Likewise, no grant can be made for the improvement of premises which are not generally available to the mountaineering community.

Activities of the trust

The Trust makes grants to organisations and individuals for projects that meet the objectives of the Trust. By far the largest area of expenditure has been in supporting footpath repair. Extensive and continuing support is given to Mountaineering Scotland for core funding. Large donations have also been made to land purchase appeals by conservation bodies.

The Trust is keen to encourage the safe participation in mountaineering, and so support is given to training courses – especially those aimed at young people – such as those subsidised by the Jonathan Conville Memorial Trust.

Smaller grants have been made to other organisations e.g. to Clubs for renovation of huts.

Expedition grants have been made where there are clear scientific or educational objectives.

The trust is responsible for the administration of the legacy known as Mrs Snart’s Bequest, which is solely for assisting mountains safety.

As well as providing grant, the Trust owns the Scottish Mountaineering Trust (Publications) Limited, which publishes books associated with the Scottish mountains.

Income of the trust

The Trust’s revenue is derived from two main sources:

  • Publishing guidebooks and other books on behalf of the Scottish Mountaineering Club and other books about the Scottish mountains. The Trust’s publication activity is carried on by a wholly owned subsidiary company, Scottish Mountaineering Trust (Publications) Limited. The whole operating surplus of the company is covenanted to the Trust.
  • Donations and Bequests. These are always most welcome and can be of any amount. If a donation is made to us without any conditions it will go into the general fund. If you would like to discuss specifics in connection with a donation then please do contact us. Any donation can be kept confidential, if so wished.

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Membership of the Trust

Trustees are appointed by the Scottish Mountaineering Club and normally serve for a period of three years. The Chairman is normally the immediate Past-President of the Scottish Mountaineering Club and serves for a period of two years. Additional to the Trustees, there is a Secretary and a Treasurer who are nonvoting officers.

Where the money goes

Below are shown the totals of the grants and loans made by the Trust in its major areas of activity in the period 1990-2019.

Footpath Construction and Maintenance £486,000
Funding for Mountaineering Scotland £235,000
Land Purchase £68,500
Mountaineering Education and Training £36,000
Mountain Rescue Equipment and Facilities £74,000
Support of Expeditions £34,500
Renovation of Club Huts £315,000
Other £321,000
TOTAL £1,570,000

SMT Annual Reports

A full list of the grants awarded by the SMT since 1998 can be found at SMT Annual Reports.